Metallic railway-tie



L. A. sPEAR. METALLIC RAILWAY TI.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-29| i920.

Patented 001112,1920.

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LAURENCE A. SPEAR, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

METALLIC RAILWAY-TIE.

Application filed January 29, 1920. Serial No. 354,983.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, LAURENCE A. SPEAK, a citizen of the United States. residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Metallic Railway-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in metallic railway ties preferably made up of sheet metal, and designed for economy in material and cost of production; for durability, and involving features of construction that render it especially valuable in forming a stable and solid roadbed for the rails and passage of rolling stock thereover.

The invention consists essentially in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts of a single-piece metallic tie as will be hereinafter described and claimed, and as illustrated in the accompanying` drawings wherein one form of the physical embodiment of the invention is depicted according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application ofthe principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a roadbed showing the left end of a tie in section, together with the tie plate, rail and connections and illustrating the disposition of the broken stone or gravel of the roadbed with relation to the hollow portion of the tie and its open center.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing two ties of the construction of Fig. 1, supporting the rail.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view through the hollow portion of a. tie, showing also an interior reinforcing brace bar disposed transverse of the hollow tie.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of a pair of tie plates used at the respective ends of the tie for securing the rail to the tie.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings I utilize a single sheet of metal from which the metal tie is fashioned by suitable tools or machinery involving the full length bottom plate 1 above which Vproject the vertical side plates or flanges 2, 2, providing an open-center tie of standard size and dimensions for use on railroads.

At its respective ends the tie is fashioned with hollow portions or boxes 3, 3, which are bounded bythe bottom plate and side walls, and in addition these boxes or hollow portions have closed tops fashioned by extending the inwardly bent, top, meeting flanges 4, 4, up from theside walls or side plates 2. ln this manner the tie is provided with an open central portion between the two rails of the track extending a practicable distance toward the rails, and the ends of the ties which support the rails are reinforced by the tubular or hollow construction, which also receive the material of the roadbed as shown in Fig. 1. The material of the roadbed is thus placed on top of the open center of the tie and incloses its bottom plate and side walls, and the material is also filled into the tubular or hollow ends of the tie to secure a stable and firm roadbed.

Preferably the corner edges of the hollow' tie ends are beveled as at 5 to eliminate sharp corners and to some extent the rigidity that would be occasioned by the presence of these right angular corners, as well as providing a degree of resiliency with a cushioning effect for the hollow portions of the tie.

A reinforcing, interior brace bar 6 is provided and extends transversely of the hollow tie end, being riveted to the side walls of the tie at 7 for the purpose of strengthening the tie and preventing any tendency of l spreading of the hollow end walls. During the formation of the metallic tie, open, alined slots are fashioned in the top flanges 4, and arranged `to provide the pairs of closed slots 8 when the hollow endV is completed, extending transversely across the top of the tie and at the sides of the center or longitudinal line of the rail, and between the rail and the tie a Wood shim or cushioning block 9 is utilized. f

kThe connection between the tie and the rail is made by means of a specially constructed tie plate indicated as a whole by the numeral 10, and one of these plates is used at each side of the rail for joining the rail and tie, the tie plate being fashioned with a downwardly disposed base tongue v11 which is passed through one of the slots 8 inthe top of the tie, and anchors the tie plate to the tie. The lip 12 of the tie plate 15 is provided on the tie plate or fastener 10,

having end, dovnturned flanges 16 which fit overrthe ends of the Wood block 7 as best seen in F ig. 3j The bolts 17 which pass through the body'o'f the rail :fastener l0, the Wood block, and the top wall of the hollow end of the tie, have the customary securing nuts 18 for rigidly holding and securing-the fastener to the tie, thus rmly locking the tie, fastener and rail together atY the -top .of the tie.

V'()nly one Vend of the tie construction is illustrated, and of course the other end has av complementary construction-` er From an inspection ofmy drawings and in conneotion with theA above description itu will be apparent that a compact and durable structure is combined with the hollou7 tie end whereby the rail fastener holds the in turned upper flanges 4, 4 of the tie against spreading, and supports and retains the cushion block as Well as performing the 'function or' engaging and retaining in locked position the base or base flanges ot the rail.

Having thus fully described Inyinventionrwhat Ielaim and desire to Secure by Letters Patent is- VV A metallic tie 'having pairs of upper transverse slots, rail fasteners each having a tongue anchored yina slot and a rail engaging lip, a Cushion block between the rail and tie, a flanged clamp on the fastener enrgaging said block7 and bolts for securing the fastener, block andV tie.V

In testimony whereof aflix my signature.

LAURENCEA. spline. Y 

